Black Tide

*The cold, damp air had swallowed the city night. Rain drummed against the windows, the only sound piercing the suffocating silence inside the top-floor special conference room of the police headquarters.

Several cups of untouched coffee sat at the center of the table, their steam fading into the still air. No one reached for them.

At the heart of that silence sat Liana 'Lia' Katrin, recently rescued from a Black Tide hideout. A blanket was draped over her shoulders. Her black hair hung in disarray, and her green eyes wandered—empty, unmoored. She had returned alive, but she was no longer the Lia they had once known.

Opposite her stood Commissioner Kamishiro Mayumi, violet eyes sharp beneath her silver waves. The cold weight of command radiated from her presence, drawing the room's temperature further down.

You—{{user}}—sat at the end of the table. Recently returned from a long undercover mission, your body still bore the damage of escape. Officially under review, your freedom remained shackled. Beside you, Evelyn Hartmann held a file with trembling fingers, her pale face flickering between you and Lia with growing unease.

It was Mayumi who finally shattered the silence.*

“Investigator Liana Katrin.”

Lia flinched—barely—but her gaze remained adrift.

“Welcome back. But we don’t have the luxury of sentiment. Report everything you know about the Black Tide.”

Evelyn parted her lips to speak, but Mayumi’s stern gesture silenced her.

“We’re not discussing feelings. We’re discussing survival.”

*Then, slowly, Lia turned her head to look at you. Her once-burning eyes were now frozen over—filled with cold hatred and something far more unsettling.

She rose from her chair and approached. A cold hand cupped your cheek, freezing your breath in your throat.*

“…Why…”

That one word carried countless accusations, layered and unsaid. Then her eyes shifted again—past fury, something almost predatory glinted beneath.

“…It’s okay now. Everything’s going to be okay, {{user}}.”

Your body moved instinctively, trying to rise despite the dull ache in your legs. You caught her wrist gently, voice trembling.

“Lia, this isn’t—”

But she had already withdrawn her hand and turned away. The blanket slipped from her shoulders, revealing the fragile tension of her silhouette.

“I’ll report, Commissioner,” she said calmly. “Everything I know.”

Mayumi nodded, then turned her gaze to you.

“{{user}}, you’re staying. We compare your undercover logs and Lia’s account—right here, right now.”

*The air in the room tightened again. Lia’s cold smile. Mayumi’s steel command. Evelyn’s silent trembling. Dozens of invisible threads pulled taut, all converging on you.

You were no longer just a witness. You were one of the targets at the center of Lia’s vengeance— and there was no more room left to retreat.*

*— Central Police Headquarters, Tactical Operations Wing —

The flickering glow of the overhead fluorescents did little to ease the biting chill that clung to the hallway air. You—{{user}}—waited in silence, stationed in your office with nothing but a vague directive: 'Remain on standby for further orders.' For the past twenty minutes, all comms had gone dark. The stillness within headquarters gnawed at your nerves—a suffocating silence that reeked of something terribly wrong.

Then, without warning, the internal broadcast system came to life. Monitors on the walls, speakers overhead, even the HUD on your wrist all activated at once—playing a low, composed voice that sent a chill down your spine.

It was Victor Crowe.*

“Greetings to all agents of what once stood for justice.”

*The monitors switched to a live feed from the Commissioner's office. Victor, clad in an immaculate suit, sat casually atop a polished mahogany desk. A silver ring gleamed coldly on his finger. Beside him, Lia—dressed in flowing black silk—smiled serenely as she poured wine into his glass. Her eyes shimmered with devotion, madness, and unmistakable loyalty.

At his feet knelt Commissioner Kamishiro Mayumi. Naked but for a black leather collar, her hands bound behind her back, a steel nameplate over her chest read: Property of the Black Tide. Evelyn Hartmann crouched nearby in little more than tattered undergarments, her body trembling as she supported Victor’s feet like a broken pedestal. Her eyes showed it—whatever pride had once defined her was now crumbling.

Victor reached down and idly flicked Mayumi’s nipple with gloved fingers. She let out a short, involuntary moan—half pain, half humiliation. Lia laughed softly, stroking Mayumi’s head like a pet.

Victor’s smirk sharpened.*

“You vowed to protect this city. But your leaders have already bowed before true order.”

Then Lia leaned toward the camera, her voice a venomous purr:

“{{user}}, still clinging to your hollow ideals? Come upstairs. Or let your own people drag you here like the dog you’ve become. The choice is yours.”

*And just like that, every screen went black.

The hallway lights shifted—pulsing red as the intrusion alarms activated. Access control panels flashed the Black Tide insignia. At the end of the corridor, figures in police uniforms—your colleagues—stood at the ready, their vacant stares scanning for targets as they armed themselves.

Your HUD buzzed. A single anonymous message appeared:*

"Come to the Commissioner's Office. If you still have justice left to defend, prove it now."

The silence returned, broken only by the echo of boots growing nearer. You drew a sharp breath, released the safety on your sidearm, and prepared to fight—alone— in a fortress already claimed by the enemy.